The Cloud Golem and the Floating Castle - Wizard Craft 3.0 - #15 - A Video Game Bedtime Story

0:04 Hello friends from across the nation and around the world. I'm Martin and you are listening to Dad's Bedtime Stories. The podcast that takes listener ideas and turns them into bedtime stories. Listener ideas like this one.

0:22 I wanted a Cloud Golem suggestion where you find a floating castle in the sky and um It has a cloud golem spell, and the cloud golems have the power to shoot wind at the enemy and knock it back, and the attacks go straight through it.

0:57 Bye. And that was a wonderful suggestion from an anonymous person because I don't think they said their name and they didn't leave it in speak pipe. So whoever you are, let me know who you are and I'll make sure to shout you out on a future one because we're going to do your idea today. I have to say, when I listened to the idea, though, I was reminded of something from Minecraft. My son and I would sometimes like to play an add-on for Minecraft that's called Skyblock or Oneblock. And for some reason, the cloud golem and the castle in the sky thing made me think of that.

1:37 So this episode is going to be heavily, heavily influenced by that. Basically fan fiction for that add-on, honestly. Now, if you like the podcast, don't forget to rate it and review it wherever it is you're listening, because that goes a really long way into other people finding it. Share it with a friend if you want. If you're looking for ad-free episodes and a little bit of bonus content, you can find it on Patreon. And otherwise, you're in the right spot, and I really appreciate you listening. In other news, I have just finished my first draft of Kids Spaceship, the graphic novel. 10 chapters, 100 pages, where I took the first 10 episodes of the show ever and turned them into a graphic novel with Spaceship. Now,

2:31 I couldn't find an artist or a publishing company that really wanted to do the art for me. So, full disclosure, I did work with ChatGPT to do some of the artwork. I think it turned out pretty cool. But I'm still deciding if I should release it or not. So, I don't know, let me know. I ordered a couple test copies to check them out, see what they look like in print. And I'm going to decide on that. But now, it's that time again. Time to get as comfy as you can in that bed, close your eyes, and imagine yourself doing what the kid in the story does. You wake up to a familiar set of words floating in front of your eyes. The words, wake up? You mentally select yes and the world slowly forms around you. You're

3:26 lying in your bed, inside your house in the still unnamed mountain village. Beside you, your emerald cat golem is curled up in a little green ball, apparently sleeping. Almost immediately, as it does every other morning, another screen appears. Congratulations! Character progress summary available. Current player level, level 9. Current skills unlocked. Lockpicking, level 3. Ninjutsu combat, level 2. Arcane engineer, level 3. Cyborg, Animal Control Skill, Level 3, Dominance Breaker, Current Wizard Ability, Advanced Wizard, Current Spells Unlocked, Stone Golem, Copper Golem, Iron Golem, Golden Golem, Diamond Golem, Laser Golem, Emerald Cat Golem, Netherite Golem, Fireball, level 2. Telekinesis, level 3.

4:44 Earth magic, level 2. Lightning magic, level 2. Animal control, level 5. Current equipment. Iron sword. Sword of stolen skills. Flying diamond golem mech suit. Upgraded armored car. Current mounts. Giant Hawk. Young Void Dragon. Current Active Settlement. Unnamed Mountain Village. Current Known Enemy. Gary, the Golem King. The screen flashes again and so does the voice. Congratulations! Your recent victory over the Golem King, combined with the continued development of your settlement, has earned you enough experience to increase your level.

5:40 You have reached level 10. New skill point awarded. You now have one unused skill point. Level 10 already? Amazing! You think about opening your skill menu, but again, you decide against it. After all, saving your skill points has worked out for you many times now. It's probably best to keep it as your new strategy. You dismiss the screen and climb out of bed. Almost immediately, you hear someone banging on the door. Zaya! Zaya! You throw the door open. A young messenger is standing outside. They've found something mysterious in the mountainside. You blink. What do you mean?

6:38 I'm not entirely sure, sir, but Gus says to come quickly. Okay. You immediately summon your iron armor around your body and follow the messenger through the village. It's looking surprisingly good considering yesterday's battle. Copper golems are still repairing the last damaged sections of the wall, iron golems patrol the streets, and the enormous netherite golems stand guard near the front entrance.

7:14 You follow the messenger toward the mountain at the back of the village, and soon you see what looks like a newly excavated tunnel. into the side of the mountain. Gus is standing outside surrounded by several copper golems. Ah, good, you're here, he says. What did you find? Well, that's precisely what we're trying to determine, he gestures toward the tunnel.

7:48 The copper golems were mining for additional resources and to repair the village from yesterday's unpleasantness, when they discovered something rather unusual. You follow them inside the tunnel. At the end of the tunnel is a small chamber, and in the middle of that chamber sits a single block. It's dark gray, almost metallic, with strange glowing lines running across its surface. On the front is what looks like a button.

8:29 What's that? We aren't entirely sure, but it appears to contain an extraordinary amount of magical energy. He points toward a glowing crystal embedded in the top. More interestingly... That appears to be a portal crystal which suggests this device may be capable of teleportation. Teleportation? Possibly. Or perhaps opening a portal to another location. You walk closer. Your arcane engineer abilities activate. You can feel the power running through the strange machine. Magical pathways connecting the crystals to the button.

9:22 But there are other components you don't recognize. Huh. You place your hand against the button. Maybe if I just... Click. The machine begins pulsing with light. Uh, oh no. You say as the pulses become faster. Gus takes a step backward. Maybe I shouldn't have pressed the button. Then there's a tremendous flash and you, well, you disappear. Everything around you.

10:00 becomes white. You feel yourself being pulled through space, much like traveling through a portal, until suddenly, with a pop, you appear somewhere else. You look around. Blue sky, clouds, More blue sky. You look down. Oh, you've got to be kidding me. You're standing on a single block of dirt. A single block floating thousands of feet above the ground.

10:36 And written across its surface are two words. Mind me. You stare at them. Then you look over the edge. Far, far away. Far below, you can barely make out the tops of mountains and forests. Okay, this is new. You quickly open up your inventory. You have gold, a few basic tools, your iron sword, your armor, which is still equipped, and several stone blocks. Unfortunately for you, your diamond golem mech suit is back in the village, which means you can't just fly away. You considered jumping, you'd probably respawn somewhere, right?

11:32 But you aren't entirely sure where, and you're certainly not eager to find out what falling thousands of feet feels like. You look down at the block again. Mind me, huh? You suppose it's worth a try. First, you take your remaining stone blocks out of your inventory. You imagine them attaching to the sides of the dirt block. Ghost-like outlines appear around it. You mentally confirm their placement, and the stones fly into position, forming a tiny little platform. There, now I have something to stand on. You step onto the stone, produce your pickaxe, and begin striking the dirt block. Crack, crack, and pop. The block disappears in a puff of smoke.

12:29 A tiny piece of dirt floats above the empty space. But before you can grab it, something strange happens. Another block appears, only this time it's wood. What? You absorb the dirt block into your inventory, switch to your axe, and strike the wooden block. Crack, crack, and pop. The wood disappears, a floating piece of wood takes its place, and immediately, another block appears. Stone. You stare. Is this thing just gonna keep doing that? You swing your pickaxe, pop.

13:15 More stone, then another wooden block, then dirt, then coal, then iron. Each time you destroy the block, a new one appears in exactly the same position. You begin mining faster. Before long, your inventory contains quite a collection of materials. Then something different appears. A chest. A little, single-block chest. Sweet.

13:46 Loot.

13:47 You quickly open the chest and inside you find... A bucket. A bucket filled with... Lava. You pick it up. Why would I need lava? You absorb it into your inventory and continue mining. Eventually, another chest appears. This one contains a bucket of water. Okay, now I have lava... And water. Thanks, I guess. You continue breaking the block. Stone, wood, iron, dirt.

14:25 Then a block of grass appears and standing on top of it is a cow. You jump backward. Whoa, where did you come from? The cow looks at you. You look at the cow. Then, you look at the tiny platform. Okay, just don't fall off. You use your animal control magic to encourage the cow to move onto one of the stone blocks and stay there. It obeys. You return to mining, and mining, and mining. For over an hour, you continue smashing the magical block. Your inventory fills with dirt, stone, wood, iron, coal, buckets of water, buckets of lava, and even several little tree saplings. Meanwhile, the block keeps producing animals. A chicken, another cow, a sheep, and finally, a pig. By the time you stop, your tiny platform is completely overcrowded. The

15:42 chicken is standing on top of the pig, one cow is pushing against the other, and the sheep looks dangerously close to falling off the edge. Alright everybody, stop moving. You reach into your animal control magic and calm the animals, then you look around. Maybe this is the point. Maybe you're supposed to build something. You open your inventory and select a grass block. You imagine it connecting to the edge of your platform. A ghost-like image appears, you confirm the placement, and the block fires into position and locks against the others. It doesn't fall, it just hangs there mid-air.

16:34 which makes absolutely no sense, but then again, you are inside a video game. You continue placing blocks, one after another. Grass spreads outward, creating a little green platform. Then you move to the opposite side and begin building a large stone platform. Within minutes, the tiny floating platform has become an actual island, a floating island. You create a grassy area for the animals and use your magic to direct them onto it. Then you place several tree saplings because why not have trees? There. You head over to the stone side and start constructing a little wooden house. Walls rise around you. A door snaps into place. A roof forms overhead. It's nothing compared to the house back in the village, but it's surprisingly comfortable. Now I just need

17:39 a bed. You look through your inventory. Plenty of wood, no wool. You slowly turn toward the sheep. The sheep looks back at you. You sigh. Sorry, buddy. You summon your iron sword. and with a single swing, the sheep disappears in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a floating pile of wool. You absorb it into your inventory. Maybe it would have been better to make shears, but you didn't have time for that. Then, you quickly create a crafting table, placing its ghost-like outline beside your little house and mentally locking it into position. You open the crafting menu. Next, you scroll through the furniture options and select a bed.

18:37 Wood and wool zip out of your inventory, pass through the crafting table, and almost magically form themselves into a little floating bed. You absorb it and then place it inside the house. Perfect. You step outside and admire your work. A grassy island. A stone platform, trees, animals, a house, all floating thousands of feet above the ground. It's actually quite beautiful. You just wish you knew what you were supposed to do next. And that's when something catches your eye, far off in the distance, almost hidden among the clouds and mist. Something enormous. You move as close to the edge as you can and squint. Is that... another island?

19:39 It certainly looks like one, only much, much bigger. And it almost looks like there's something built on top of it. maybe you could reach it you just need a bridge and well a very very long bridge which hopefully will just continue to float in the air like everything else has you check your inventory You don't have nearly enough stone.

20:11 Then you remember something. You haven't created your stone golem today. And you've still got those buckets of lava and water. That's when an idea starts forming. Wait a second. This is starting to feel a lot like a Minecraft add-on you once played. Skyblock or One block. You remember that in that game, there's a very strange little invention that you can make. A cobblestone generator. A machine that, frankly, makes almost no sense at all, but if it works here, you might have just found yourself an unlimited supply of stone.

21:04 You quickly gather some dirt blocks from your inventory and begin building a little rectangular structure on the stone side of your island. You leave four spaces in the middle. Then, you break a hole through the floor in the second space from the left. Okay, if I remember correctly, you produce your bucket of lava. Carefully, you pour it onto the far left space. The lava begins flowing toward the hole.

21:35 Then you grab your bucket of water and pour it into the far right space. The water flows in the opposite direction. And the moment the lava and water meet, there's a popping sound and a block of stone appears. You stare at it. No way. You summon your pickaxe and strike the stone. crack crack pop the cobblestone disappears leaving behind a little floating piece of stone you absorb it and immediately another piece of cobblestone appears no way you mine it again another appears and another and another you start laughing This makes absolutely no sense. Cobblestone can't come from nowhere, but apparently it can in this instance. But, well, making sense isn't really what life is doing today anyway, since,

22:45 after all, you are standing on a floating island made of a single magical block. You continue mining. Before long, you've gathered enough stone to do something. Well... considerably more interesting. You step away from the generator, empty some stone from your inventory, reach into your mana pool, and focus on the familiar spell, Stone Golem. Rocks begin floating. They twist and turn, smashing themselves together into enormous arms, legs, and a body, and of course a head. You push a little of your life force into the creature, and its eyes open. What are your orders? Ah, perfect. Come on over here. You lead the golem towards the cobblestone generator.

23:45 See this piece of stone? Yes, master. Every time you mine it, another one will appear. I want you to keep mining it and collecting the stone. Understood? Understood. You hand it your pickaxe. The golem grabs the tool and immediately begins swinging.

24:09 Crack. Pop.

24:11 Crack.

24:12 Pop.

24:13 Perfect. You quickly head over to your crafting table, use some of the remaining materials to make another pickaxe, and Return to the magical block. For the next several hours, you mine. Wood, dirt, stone, iron, even more chests. Your little island continues growing as you gather more materials and place them at the edges. Eventually, you hear the stone golem calling. Master, you turn. Yeah? Inventory full. Oh, already?

24:54 You rush over and absorb the stone from the golem's inventory into your own. Then, you look towards that mysterious island in the distance. Okay, I think it's time. You walk to the edge of your floating island and produce a stone block. You imagine it attaching itself to the very edge and extending the platform outward. A ghost-like outline appears.

25:23 You confirm the placement and click. The stone locks into place. You step onto it. Then you place another and another and another and another. Slowly, you begin building a narrow bridge through the sky. You look down occasionally, which, honestly, might not be the smartest idea. There's nothing beneath you but an enormous drop. You continue building until your inventory's almost empty. Then you turn around and head back. The stone golem has already gathered another enormous pile. You collect it, thank the golem, you know, to be courteous, and head back onto your bridge. Block after block, you extend it further into the sky. And the closer you get... the more you can see. The island isn't just an island.

26:23 It's a gigantic cloud, and sitting on top of it is... a castle. An actual castle. A cloud castle. Tall white towers rise from the clouds, blue flags flutter from the rooftops, and enormous archways connect different sections of the building. Okay... Now that's cool looking. You make another trip back to the stone golem, then another, and finally after what feels like forever, your bridge connects with the enormous floating cloud.

27:02 You step onto it. Your feet sink slightly into the soft surface. Well, that's weird. You look towards the castle entrance. TWO ENORMOUS FIGURES ARE STANDING ON EITHER SIDE OF THE GATE, AND THEY LOOK LIKE GOLEMS, ONLY THEY'RE MADE ENTIRELY OUT OF CLOUDS OR COTTON CANDY OR SOMETHING. THEIR BODIES SWIRL AND SHIFT, ALMOST LIKE THEY'RE MADE OF MIST. UH, HELLO?

27:35 YOU SAY. BOTH CREATURES TURN TOWARD YOU. THEIR EYES BEGIN GLOWING. Unauthorized visitor. Oh, I'm not here to... With a whoosh, one of the cloud golems thrusts its hand forward. An enormous blast of wind hits you directly in the chest. You fly backwards and barely manage to catch yourself with telekinesis before falling off the cloud. Hey... The second golem raises both arms. Another gust of wind blasts towards you.

28:14 You summon a stone wall out of the castle's foundation using your earth magic. The wind smashes against it. Okay, I guess we're fighting. You reach down and tear several stones from the ground. With a wave of your hand, you launch them toward the nearest golem. They fly straight through its body. Oh, man. The creature simply reforms around them.

28:44 You reach into your monochore and try lightning instead. With a crack, a bolt shoots from your fingertips and, well, it passes right through the cloud golem and disappears into the sky. Come on. The first golem charges forward. You dodge to the side and summon a fireball. You launch it directly into the creature's chest, and with a boom, the fireball explodes. And this time, part of the golem disappears or evaporates. You blink. Wait. The creature's body comes back together, but it's noticeably smaller. Fire evaporates water. Okay, I think I know what to do. You form another fireball.

29:40 but instead of throwing it directly at the creature, you aim it at the stone floor beneath its feet. The fireball explodes, heat rises around the golem, and its body begins shrinking. But the fire disappears almost immediately. What if I could keep it burning somehow? You focus on the flame, on the heat, on the way fire magic works, and instead of simply creating a ball of fire and releasing it, you imagine continuing to feed the mana into the flames that are already there, keeping them alive, making them hotter, larger, more powerful... when suddenly, a familiar voice speaks. Congratulations, you have experienced a magical epiphany. Fire magic has increased to level four. New fire spell unlocked. Inferno. You smile. This

30:51 is gonna be useful. You thrust both hands towards the first cloud golem. A fireball shoots from your fingertips and explodes directly beneath it. But this time you don't stop. You continue pouring mana into the flames. They spread outward. Higher. Hotter. An enormous inferno erupts beneath the creature. The cloud golem begins shrinking rapidly. Its arms disappear. Then its legs.

31:25 Then.

31:26 Its entire body evaporates into nothing with a pop. A little pile of loot floats where it once stood. All right. The second cloud golem charges. It raises both arms and blasts you with another powerful gust of wind. You plant your feet, summon your mana, and unleash Inferno directly beneath it. The flames rise around the creature. It tries to escape, but you hold it in place with a telekinetic push.

32:00 Within seconds, it too evaporates. With a pop, it leaves behind loot. Mostly gold, which you quickly absorb. After all, you can never have too much gold. Then, you look toward the castle. Alright, time to see what's inside. You push open the enormous doors, and the castle is strangely empty. No people, no guards, no servants, just enormous hallways, beautiful stone floors, and windows overlooking the endless sky. You make your way through the building until you reach a gigantic throne room. At the far end sits an enormous throne.

32:54 And directly in front of it, a chest. Oh, perfect. You rush towards it and lift the lid. Inside are two objects. A spell book and what looks like a cloud. You pick up the book first. There's a picture of a cloud golem on the cover. Well, I guess that makes sense. You quickly open it and time freezes fast.

33:23 The pages begin flipping, memories rush into your mind, memories of manipulating water vapor, gathering clouds together and shaping them into enormous bodies before breathing life into them with a little bit of your own mana. The book snaps shut and then dissolves. Congratulations, you have learned a new spell, Cloud Golem. You may create one cloud golem per week. Awesome.

34:00 You look toward the open window. There are certainly enough clouds around here. You reach out with your mana. Several clouds begin drifting towards you. They swirl together, stretching and twisting into the shape of a humanoid creature. You push a little life force into it and its eyes open. What are your orders? You grin. Follow me, I guess.

34:31 I don't really know where we're going with this. Understood. The cloud golem floats beside you. Then you reach back into the chest and pick up the other object. The little cloud is surprisingly solid. What is this? The all-knowing voice responds immediately. Congratulations, you have discovered a flying nimbus, a magical, rideable cloud that responds to your commands and can transport you through the sky. Your eyes widen. Wait, I can ride this thing? You place it on the floor.

35:20 The cloud expands slightly. You climb on top. It's incredibly comfortable, like sitting on a gigantic floating pillow. You look toward the cloud golem. Alright, buddy. Follow me. Understood. Then you look down at your new flying cloud. Take me back to my village, you say, hoping it'll somehow know how to do that. Immediately. Whoosh! The flying nimbus blasts forward.

35:57 You shoot straight out through the enormous castle doorway and into the open sky. Whoa! Wind rushes past your face, the castle disappears behind you, and you fly over your long stone bridge, past your little floating island, and across an enormous forest. Below you, rivers wind between the trees. Mountains rise in the distance. And before long, you recognize something.

36:32 Your mountain. Your village. There it is. The flying nimbus banks to the side and begins descending. Your new cloud golem follows closely behind. It can apparently fly. You swoop over the outer wall and land gently in the town square. Several villagers immediately stop what they're doing. Gus comes rushing out of the town hall. Where have you been? You climb off of the cloud. JD and Grayson appear behind him.

37:13 Is that a cloud? JD asks. Yes. Are you riding it? Apparently. Grayson looks at the cloud golem floating beside you. And what on earth is that thing? You look between all three of them, then towards your house. Long story. Gus folds his arms. Well, I certainly hope so. I'll tell you tomorrow. You pat your flying nimbus, order your cloud golem to remain nearby, and make your way to your house.

37:55 Your emerald cat golem is waiting at the door. Welcome home, master. Thanks, you say as you head inside, walk straight to your bed, and collapse onto it. A familiar prompt appears. Sleep? You mentally select yes, and instantly your muscles begin to relax. Your arms and legs sink into the mattress, and slowly your mind begins to wander off to thoughts of new dreams and new adventures to come. Good night, everyone. Thank you.

40:44 You you you.

41:26 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

44:18 Thank you.

45:01 Thank you. Thank you.

47:52 Thank you. Thank you.

49:27 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. you Thank you.

54:59 Thank you.

55:40 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. you